The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus for vehicles for recording various kinds of information regarding vehicles and, more particularly, to an information recording apparatus for vehicles in which information such as drive distance, drive time, vehicle speed, engine rotational speed, and the like are recorded into a detachable memory module by a contactless coupling.
Hitherto, in a tachograph of a vehicle, a disk-shaped recording paper is rotated at a constant speed by a motor reduced through a gear or the like, various vehicle data such as speed and the like are recorded along the circumferential direction (of a time base) by a pen recorder which oscillates in the radial direction, the recording paper is taken out as necessary, and drive management data is made.
However, in such a conventional tachograph, since it is constructed by mechanical parts, there is a limitation in the recording accuracy, so that the reliability lacks. Further, much labors are needed since a man reads the drive management data from the recording paper and converts them into the numerical values, to thereby make the drive management data.
To solve this problem, a system which can directly record the drive data by the numerical values is demanded. For example, there is considered a system for recording the drive data by using what is called an IC card or the like which is being put into practical use at present as a memory unit.
However, according to existing IC cards, electrical contacts are used to supply an operating power source and a recording signal to the memory unit. If such an IC card is used to record the drive data of a vehicle, there are many problems such that dusts and the like generated during the running enter the memory unit, so that the contacts are damaged and the defective contact easily occurs, on the other hand, water droplets are deposited to the contacts due to the temperature or moisture, so that the defective contact occurs due to the corrosion, and further, the defective contact occurs due to the vibration of the vehicle, and the like. Consequently, these problems are actually disadvantageous when such an IC card is used in the vehicle.